William Seward, 24th Secretary of State

William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 - October 10, 1872) was an American politician. Seward was elected to the New York State Senate in 1830 as an Anti-Mason. He was elected governor in 1838 and won a second term in 1840. During this period, he signed several laws that advanced the rights and opportunities for black residents, as well as guaranteeing fugitive slaves jury trials in the state. The legislation protected abolitionists, and he used his position to intervene in cases of freed black people who were enslaved in the South. He was elected by the state legislature to the Senate in 1849. He was regarded as the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, but Lincoln secured the nomination. He campaigned for Lincoln, who was elected and appointed him Secretary of State. Seward did his best to stop the southern states from seceding; once that failed, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Union cause. His firm stance against foreign intervention helped deter the United Kingdom and France from entering the conflict. He was one of the targets of the 1865 assassination plot that killed Lincoln, and was seriously wounded. Seward remained loyally at his post through the presidency of Johnson, during which he negotiated the Alaska purchase and supported Johnson during his impeachment. He died in 1872 at the age of 71. Study for First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation by Francis Bicknell Carpenter, 1863

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Abolition Abolitionist Alaska Anti-slavery Antislavery Bicknell Campaigner Carpenter Crusader Purchase Secession Seward Twenty-fourth

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